Borders Group

By Valerie Harb, BBA1I visited Borders Group in Ann Arbor, MI on December 8, 2005. I spent the day with Heidi Konzen, Digital Music Specialist. She works with several buyers within the company, as well as the general managers of various Borders stores to ensure that everything runs smoothly within the music department. I was also exposed to different sectors of the marketing department within Borders Group, which consists of jobs ranging from category marketing-which includes buying, allocation and marketing, to marketing services-which includes working on promotions, advertising, and customer relations.
Several aspects of my visit were very interesting. I had the opportunity to sit in on a conference call that was conducted by Ms. Konzen. The purpose of this call was to inform the managers of all airport stores about when they should be expecting inventory to arrive and store feedback regarding their performance.
I also met with a few of the buyers within the company and saw firsthand how the company evaluates their inventory and decides which items it wants to carry, and which vendors they do the most business with. I was even able to give my opinion on several products and help predict which items would sell best.
Everyone I met was very friendly and easy to approach. They provided me with a lot of valuable information about the company, how it operates, and what kind of tasks they perform on a day-to-day basis. The dress code also seemed to be very casual. Many employees were dressed in khakis or jeans and the work atmosphere was very relaxed and easy-going.
I had a great experience at Borders Group and would strongly recommend that anyone who is interested in a career in category or service marketing consider looking into the company. The employees had a high level of respect for one another, which is important in a company that requires extensive teamwork and collaboration. I was also very impressed by the amount of responsibility that Ms. Konzen had at such a young age and while being so new to the company. This proves that Borders appreciates hard work and that there are opportunities to move up within the company. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and feel as though the experience I had at Borders Group helped shape the values that I am looking for in a company and the type of career I hope to have one day.



By Alexandru Musat, BBA1

I visited Borders Group's Finance Department on December 8, 2005. I spent the day with Yanni Fu, a Marketing Analyst in the Borders Group Finance Department. After briefly getting to know each other, we began analyzing the Borders marketing promotion recap for our meeting with John Brimacombe, Manager of Marketing Analysis, and Jason Scriver, Manager of Real Estate Analysis. During the meeting, I played the role of a silent observer as Yanni, John, and Jason bounced ideas off each other regarding marketing promotions and the ROI forecast for an upcoming promotion in April 2006. Afterwards, Yanni updated the forecast and we analyzed the market share report and updated upcoming new releases in the database. This was the most interesting part of my visit; I felt like I was part of something that could lead to actual changes in how Borders sells books, music, and movies to its customers.

The most compelling aspect of Borders Group is how it considers its people its highest priority, values leadership, and emphasizes results. Furthermore, everyone is very friendly and the atmosphere is relaxed.

After reading the DITL description prior to submitting my application, I expected the visit to be finance-oriented, but it turned out to be more marketing-oriented. However, this is a great opportunity for someone interested in marketing and finance.